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INCENTIVES  TO  DITTY 

IN  THE 


WORK  OF  MISSIONS. 


— 


INCENTIVES  TO  DUTY 


IN  TIIE  AV  0 R K OF  MISSIONS: 


A 

SERMON 


PREACHED  FOR  TIIE  BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  OF  TIIE  PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH  IN  NEW  YORK,  MAY  4,  1856, 


BY  THE 


REV.  PHINEAS  D.  GURLEY,  D.D. 

MINISTER  OF  THE  F ST.  CHURCH,  WASHINGTON  CITY. 


NEW  YORK: 

PUBLISHED  AT  THE  MISSION  HOUSE, 


No.  23  CENTRE  STREET. 


. 


1 


, 


, 

* 


INCENTIVES  TO  DUTY  IN  THE  WORK  OF  MISSIONS: 


A.  8EEMON, 

PREACHED  FOR  THE  BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  OF  TIIE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH, 
. IN  NEW  YORK,  MAY  4,  1856, 

BY  THE 


REV  PHINEAS  13.  GURLEY,  D.D. 

MINISTER  OF  THE  F 8TREET  CHURCH,  WASHINGTON  CITY. 


“ And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.”— Mark  xvl  15. 

So  spake  the  Son  of  God.  These  are  among  the  last  words  He  addressed  to  His 
apostles  before  He  was  parted  from  them,  and  a cloud  received  Him  out  of  their  sight. 
The  circumstances  were  memorable.  From  the  deepest  scenes  of  his  humiliation  he  had 
just  emerged  in  triumph.  He  had  endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame, — and  his  suf- 
ferings were  finished.  The  work  of  atonement  was  complete.  He  had  been  delivered  for 
the  offences  of  many,  and  raised  again  for  their  justification  ; that  resurrection  had  fully 
vindicated  his  character  and  claims  as  the  true  Messiah,  the  promised  Saviour  of  the 
world  ; and  now  as  he  is  about  to  return  to  his  Father  and  his  throne,  he  says  to  the 
eleven,  and  through  them  to  all  his  people  in  every  age,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world, 
“ It  is  for  you  now  to  tell  to  dying  sinners  everywhere  the  story  of  my  love — what  I 
have  done  and  suffered  for  their  salvation.  Spread  it,  spread  it  to  earth’s  remotest  bounds. 
This  is  my  last  behest.  With  these  words  I leave  you,  ‘ Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.’  ” 

Here  lies  the  sanction  and  here  dates  the  commencement  of  the  missionary  enterprise. 
It  is  a risen  and  ascending  Saviour’s  last  legacy  to  his  people.  This  great  and  precious 
interest,  this  momentous  part  of  the  scheme  of  human  redemption,  he  has  confided  to  them 
that  they  may  act  as  the  cherishers  of  its  life,  the  agents  of  its  progress  and  its  achieve- 
ments. Here,  too,  we  see  the  vast  extent  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  the  dimensions  of 
that  territory  upon  which  it  is  to  operate,  and  upon  every  habitable  part  of  which  it  is 
ultimately  to  triumph.  “ The  field  is  the  world” — “ all  the  world.”  The  commission  is 
far-reaching,  like  the  love  of  Him  -who  gave  it ; and  it  is  put  into  the  hands  of  those  in 
whose  hearts  that  same  love  has  been  shed  abroad  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is,  therefore- 
expected  of  them  that  their  feelings  will  harmonize  with  the  spirit  of  the  commission — that 
their  benevolent  sympathies  will  be  co-extensive  with  the  ruins  of  the  fall— that  they  will 
yearn  over  the  condition  of  man,  guilty,  benighted,  perishing  man,  of  every  color  and  every 
clime,  and  be  very  anxious  to  tell  him  the  glad  tidings  of  a Saviour. 


4 


INCENTIVES  TO  DUTY 


But  if  the  field  is  very  large,  it  is  also  very  dark.  “ Darkness  covers  the  earth,  and 
gross  darkness  the  people.”  Indeed,  the  scene  presented  to  the  eye  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence in  the  unevangelized  portions  of  our  world  is  gloomy,  painful,  and  revolting,  beyond 
description.  The  most  absurd  systems  of  idolatry  everywhere  prevail.  Religious  homage 
is  paid  to  dumb  idols  of  wood  and  stone,  to  the  luminaries  of  heaven,  to  the  spirits  of  de- 
parted men,  to  malignant  demons,  and  even  to  brutes  and  crawling  reptiles.  The  most 
cruel,  foul,  and  debasing  religious  rites  are  everywhere  adhered  to  and  practcied.  The 
very  images  and  sculpture  of  idol  temples  are  in  the  main  but  spectacles  of  impurity. 
The  heathen  have  no  correct  views  of  a future  state.  Though  unable  to  erase  or  resist  the 
impression  of  a life  to  come,  yet,  in  the  absence  of  revelation,  they  have  given  to  a corrupt 
and  disordered  fancy  the  privilege  of  drawing  her  own  picture  of  that  life,  and,  as  we 
should  expect,  the  picture,  like  its  source,  is  low  and  sensual.  Degrading  views  of  the 
Deity  and  of  Divine  worship,  mingled  with  grossly  erroneous  apprehensions  of  life  beyond 
the  grave,  must,  of  course,  result  in  the  most  loathsome  and  extensive  wickedness.  And 
accordingly  the  united  voice  of  all  who  have  gone  from  Gospel  lands  to  the  heathen  testi- 
fies, that  none  but  eye-witnesses  can  have  any  adequate  idea  of  the  shocking  scenes  of  de- 
pravity which  are  everywhere  exhibited.  That  awful  description  of  abominations  con- 
tained in  the  first  chapter  of  Paul’s  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  is  an  accurate  picture  of 
heathenism  as  it  appears  at  the  present  day.  Vice  now,  as  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles, 
bursts  over  all  control,  levels  all  barriers,  and  rolls  its  waves  of  corruption,  broad  and 
deep,  on  every  side.  The  whole  idol  system,  all  over  the  earth,  is  replete  with  enormities 
untold  and  unimagined,  and  carries  its  deluded  victims  down,  down  to  such  shameless 
pollution  that  the  details  would  be  too  revolting  to  be  endured. 

Such  is  the  world  to  be  evangelized — so  dark  and  degraded  ; such  is  the  field  to  be  ex- 
plored, occupied,  and  made  vocal,  first  with  the  story  and  then  with  the  praises  of  Jesus  ; 
such  is  the  territory  to  be  illuminated,  and  disenthralled,  and  won  to  Christ  by  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise.  So  great  and  so  blessed  is  the  work  to  be  done.  These  systems  of 
idolatry,  hoary  and  strong,  which  have  stood  for  centuries,  supported  by  the  pride,  the 
prejudices,  the  evil  passions,  and  the  superstitious  fears  of  men  ; these  systems  to  which 
whole  nations  have  become  wedded  by  long  and  inveterate  habit ; which  are  associated 
with  all  that  is  precious  in  the  memory  of  their  ancestors,  and  interwoven,  in  many  in- 
stances, with  the  institutions  and  entire  policy  of  their  various  forms  of  government — these 
systems  with  all  their  appendages  in  whatever  continent  or  island  they  may  be  found,  the 
missionary  enterprise  proposes  to  sap,  weaken,  and  overthrow — and  that  too  without 
physical  violence  or  the  shedding  of  blood.  By  the  use  of  the  simplest  moral  means  it 
proposes  to  remedy  all  those  evils — the  fruit  of  ignorance  and  depravity,  which  abound  in 
heathen  lands ; by  the  simple  preaching  of  the  Gospel  it  proposes  to  make  light  spring  up 
in  the  place  of  darkness,  order  in  the  place  of  confusion,  mercy  in  the  place  of  cruelty, 
holiness  in  the  place  of  sin,  and  the  spiritual  worship  of  the  true  and  only  living  God  in 
the  place  of  blinding  superstitions  and  soul-ruining  idolatries.  The  object  which  the 
missionary  enterprise  aims  to  accomplish,  and  which  the  Son  of  God  designed  that  it  should 
accomplish  when  he  uttered  the  words,  or  rather  issued  the  mandate  of  our  text,  will  not 
be  fully  realized  till  the  Gospel  has  been  preached,  and  preached  successfully  in  every 
land.  Till  the  Indians  in  our  western  wilds  bury  the  tomahawk  and  bow  to  the  sceptre 
of  the  Prince  of  Peaqe  ; till  the  slaves  of  superstition  in  South  America  shall  be  emanci- 
pated ; till  Africa  shall  be  redeemed,  and  even  Ethiopia  shall  stretch  out  her  hands  unto 
God  ; till  the  moral  aspect  of  Asia  shall  be  changed,  her  moral  darkness  dissipated,  and 


IX  THE  WORK  OF  MISSIONS. 


5 


her  countless  millions  shall  gather  and  worship  around  the  cross ; till  all  the  inhabited 
islands  of  the  sea  know  of  our  Immanuel  and  declare  his  praise  ; till  the  spell  of  Moham- 
medan imposture  is  brokcu,  the  fetters  of  papal  superstition  are  everywhere  thrown  off,  the 
diversified  forms  of  false  religion  melt  and  disappear  before  “ the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus," 
the  Jews  arc  brought  in  with  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles,  and  the  kingdom  and  dominion, 
and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  people  of 
the  saints  of  the  Most  High.  No:  the  design  of  the  missionary  enterprise  will  not  be 
completed  till 

“ One  song  employs  all  nations,  and  all  cry, 

1 Worthy  the  Lamb,  for  he  was  slain  for  us;’ 

The  dwellers  In  the  vales,  and  on  the  rocks. 

Shout  to  each  other,  and  the  mountain  tops 
From  distant  mountains  catch  the  flying  joy ; 

TUI,  nation  after  nation  taught  the  strain. 

Earth  rolls  the  rapturous  hosanna  round." 

If  such,  my  brethren,  is  the  vastness  of  the  missionary  enterprise  ; if  the  territory  it  pro. 
poses  to  occupy  and  redeem  is  so  dark  and  so  extensive,  and  the  difficulties  it  proposes  to 
overcome  are  so  numerous  and  formidable,  then  it  is  natural  and  proper  that  we  should 
inquire,  where  are  found  our  encouragements  for  engaging  in  it  ? What  is  the  basis  upon 
which  we  rest  our  hope  of  success  ? True,  here  is  the  commission  explicit  and  unequivocal, 
“ Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.”  This  makes  duty 
plain,  so  plain  that  we  cannot  mistake  it,  and  may  not  refuse  or  even  hesitate  to  discharge 
it  without  the  greatest  guilt ; but  still  it  may  be  profitable  fqr  us  to  inquire,  Have  we 
any  incentives  to  obedience  beyond  the  naked  command  itself?  Is  there  anything  in  the 
past  history  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  or  any  inspired  record  touching  its  coming  des- 
tiny, which  is  suited  to  stimulate  the  courage  and  the  efforts  of  its  friends  ? Any  provi- 
dential seals  or  scriptural  teachings  and  predictions  respecting  it  which  point  to  a great 
and  a glorious  issue  ? 

1.  Are  there  any  Providential  seals  upon  this  enterprise,  clear  and  encouraging  ? In 
answering  this  inquiry,  I remark  : The  first  great  chapter  in  its  history  extends  from  the 
day  of  Pentecost  over  the  first  three  centuries  of  the  Christian  era,  and  is  a chapter  lumi- 
nous with  the  approving  signet  of  Divinity.  The  apostles,  to  whom  the  commission  of  our 
text  was  primarily  given,  were  eleven  feeble  men  from  low  stations  in  life,  without  learn- 
ing, without  wealth,  without  honor,  limited  in  influence  and  unknown  to  fame.  Yet  to 
them  was  committed  the  work  of  diffusing  through  the  world  a spiritual  and  a holy  re- 
ligion—a,  religion  directly  opposed  to  the  inbred  corruptions  of  human  nature,  and  utterly 
at  war  with  idolatrous  systems  of  belief  and  of  worship  which  had  stood  for  ages,  sustained 
by  the  craft  of  a designing  priesthood,  and  the  influence  of  a benumbing  superstition 
whose  chains  were  like  adamant,  and  its  dominion  universal.  Looking  simply  at  the 
greatness  of  the  result  to  be  accomplished,  and  contrasting  it  with  the  feebleness  of  the 
instrumentality  to  be  employed,  we  should  at  once  pronounce  the  enterprise  visionary  and 
delusive — the  wildest  dream  that  ever  employed  the  thoughts  or  roused  the  energies  of 
man.  Still  the  apostles  knew  that  the  commission  they  had  received  was  a reality,  and 
not  a delusion.  Its  authority  was  high,  its  terms  were  clear — they  had  not  mistaken 
either  its  source  or  its  import ; and  not  many  days  after  the  effusion  of  the  Spirit  at 
Jerusalem,  they  entered  boldly  and  earnestly  upon  its  execution.  In  the  name  and 
strength  of  “the  Man  of  Calvary”  they  went  forth  testifying,  to  both  Jews  and  Greeks, 
repentance  toward  God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  travelled  through  Asia 


6 


INCENTIVES  TO  DUTY 


Minor,  crossed  over  into  Greece,  and  penetrated  as  far  as  Italy,  preaching  everywhere  a 
crucified  Saviour  as  the  only  hope  of  the  world.  Nor  did  they  promulgate  the  unpopular 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel  merely  among  the  lower  orders  of  the  people,  they  taught  openly 
in  the  synagogues,  they  went  to  the  most  populous  and  refined  cities,  the  centres  of  learn* 
ing,  influence,  and  idolatry  ; they  assailed  wickedness  in  high  places,  and  denounced  super- 
stition in  its  strongest  holds.  The  very  points  where  Pagan  idolatry  could  rally  its 
strongest  forces  and  oppose  Christianity  to  the  best  advantage,  were  chosen  by  the 
apostles  as  their  most  favorite  field  of  labor.  “ There,  while  philosophers  sat  around  them 
and  caviled,  and  mobs  gathered  to  do  them  violence,  and  interested  craftsmen  sung  the 
praises  of  Diana,”  they  spake  of  Jesus,  preached  the  Gospel,  told  the  simple  story  of  the 
cross.  And  what  was  their  success  ? Brethren,  you  have  read  the  record,  and  you  know 
the  answer.  Wherever  they  went  the  God  of  Missions  went  with  them.  Wherever  they 
preached  the  Word  took  effect.  “ Amid  the  profligacy  and  licentiousness  of  Corinth  a 
flourishing  church  was  planted.  Rome,  too,  saw  the  Gospel  triumph  within  her  walls,  and 
erect  its  standard  at  the  gates  of  her  Imperial  palace,  and  gather  its  trophies  from  the  very 
household  of  Caesar.”  But  not  to  enumerate  particular  victories.  Suffice  it  to  say,  but  a 
little  more  than  a century  had  elapsed  from  the  birth  of  Christ,  when  his  religion  had 
diffused  itself  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  Roman  Empire,  and  gained  such  an 
ascendency  over  idolatry  that  Pliny  the  Younger,  in  writing  to  Trajan,  speaks  of  the 
heathen  temples  as  having  been  almost  desolate,  their  sacred  solemnities  intermitted,  and 
their  sacrificial  victims  as  finding  only  here  and  there  a purchaser.  And  for  more  than  two 
centuries  from  this  time,  Christianity  continued  to  spread  its  light  and  its  victories,  till,  in 
the  language  of  Tertullian  and  Origen,  its  doctrines  “ filled  the  cities,  islands,  towns, 
boroughs,  the  camp,  the  senate,  and  the  forum  ; ” and  in  the  still  stronger  language  of 
Jerome,  “ the  passion  and  resurrection  of  Christ  were  celebrated  in  the  discourses  of  all 
nations.”  “ The  fierceness  of  Thracians  and  Scythians  was  qofteued  by  the  gentle  sound  of 
the  Gospel,  and  everywhere  Christ  was  1 all  in  all.’  ” 

Surely  this  success  was  the  work  of  God.  His  servants  planted  and  watered,  but  He 
gave  the  increase.  Surely  on  every  section  and  line  of  this  first  chapter  in  the  history 
of  the  missionary  enterprise  we  have  the  approving  seal  of  Providence — broad  and  brilliant 
— and  it  seems  to  have  been  given  thus  early  that  the  Church,  in  every  subsequent  age, 
might  believe  and  know  when  engaging  in  the  work  of  missions,  that  the  God  of  Provi- 
dence is  most  assuredly  with  her — to  open  the  way  for  her  progress,  to  defend  her  from  her 
enemies,  and  to  crown  her  labors  with  a blessing. 

Let  us  now  pass  to  what  may  be  termed  the  latest  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise,  and  inquire  whether  it  also  bears  the  impress  of  a Divine  signature  and 
benediction — the  mark  of  a superintending  and  a prospering  Providence  ? I n the  infancy 
of  our  modern  missionary  societies,  some  were  ready  to  denounce  the  very  attempt  to 
convert  the  heathen  world  to  God,  as  the  extreme  of  fanaticism — a wild  speculation — an 
ignorant  crusade,  better  adapted  to  the  superstitious  age  that  preceded  the  Reformation, 
than  to  times  like  the  present,  so  eminently  distinguished  by  rational  inquiry,  enlightened 
zehl,  and  religious  prudence.  Almost  within  the  memory  of  some  now  living,  scepticism 
sneered  at  the  idea  of  evangelizing  pagans,  as  altogether  visionary  and  preposterous  : nay, 
many  professors  of  Christianity  even,  regarded  the  promoters  of  missionary  effort  as  rash 
and  inconsiderate.  If  they  gave  them  credit  for  good  intentions,  they  denied  their  discre- 
tion ; if  they  admitted  their  zeal,  they  could  not  for  a moment  allow  them  knowledge  ; 
and  if  they  indulged  a favorable  opinion  of  their  piety,  they  looked  upon  them  rather  as 


IN  Till-'  WORK  OF  MISSIONS. 


persons  to  be  commiserated  for  their  weakness,,  than  to  be  followed  and  aided  in  their 
wild  and  dangerous  undertaking.  Hut  results  as  already  realized  abundantly  prove  that 
the  modern  friends  of  missions  were  right,  and  their  opposers  wrong.  'Whether  we  look 
to  the  East  or  to  the  West,  to  the  North  or  to  the  South,  we  see  the  most  signal  and 
cheering  evidence  that  this  cause  recently  as  in  primitive  times  has  been  sustained  and 
forwarded  of  God.  On  no  other  supposition  can  we  account  for  its  achievements,  so  many 
and  so  wonderful.  We  can  only  refer  you  to  them  in  a very  brief  and  summary  statement. 
Within  less  than  fifty  years  the  missionary  enterprise  has  driven  idolatry  from  more  than 
twenty  islands  of  the  sea.  It  has  so  tamed  the  ferocity  of  numerous  savage  tribes,  that 
they  have  beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares,  and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks.  It 
has  broken  in  pieces  some  of  the  most  iron-hearted  despotisms  that  have  ever  scourged  and 
crushed  the  human  family.  It  has  erected  hundreds  of  temples  to  the  living  God  in  the 
very  midst  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty,  and  from  them  is  now  pouring  upon  the  surround- 
ing darkness  and  suffering  the  glorious  light  of  truth  and  the  healing  balm  of  mercy.  It  has 
raised  whole  communities  from  the  most  brutal  and  disgusting  degradation  to  intelligence, 
sobriety,  social  order,  and  domestic  happiness.  It  has  exerted  its  renewing,  redeeming  power 
upon  unregenerate  thousands,  inspiring  hatred  of  sin  and  the  love  and  practice  of  holiness. 
It  has  furnished  the  afflicted  in  heathen  lands  with  Divine  consolation,  the  blind  with  sight, 
the  wretched  v^th  songs  of  gladness,  and  the  dying  with  triumphant  hopes  taking  hold  of 
immortality.  In  answer  to  its  call,  and  under  the  power  of  its  love,  many  of  the  sable  sons 
of  Africa  have  come  out  from  a darkness  thicker  than  that' of  Egypt,  into  the  marvellous 
light  of  the  Gospel.  In  India  the  devotees  of  superstition  have  felt  their  ranks  invaded — 
and  this  very  moment  they  are  alarmed  and  trembling  for  the  issue.  Already  they  have 
seen  the  charm  of  caste  dissolved,  victims  rescued  from  the  wheels  of  Juggernaut,  widows 
from  the  funeral  pile  of  their  husbands,  and  infants  devoted  to  death  snatched  from  the 
waves  of  the  Gauges;  that  they  might  live  to  hear  the  name  and  lisp  the  praises  of 
Immanuel.  In  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  what  multitudes  of  people,  within  the  last  thirty 
years,  have  cast  away  their  idols  for  the  worship  of  Jehovah!  There,  indeed,  a nation  has 
been  born  in  a day ; the  wilderness  has  become  a fruitful  field ; the  desert  has  yielded  to 
cultivation,  and  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty  has  caused  it  to  bud  and  blossom  as  the 
rose.  Look,  for  example,  at  the  Sandwich  Islands — once  so  benighted  and  degraded,  now- 
so  enlightened  and  elevated.  IIow  strikingly  ihto-  does  the  social,  and  moral,  and  religious 
aspect  of  those  Islands  contrast  with  what  was  their  appearance  a little  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a century  ago.  Then  they  bore  the  darkest  marks  of  heathenism,  and  groaned 
under  its  most  depressing  servitude  : now-  we  find  there  an  orderly,  an  intelligent,  an  indus- 
trious, a refined,  and  a truly  religious  people.  They  have  flourishing  schools ; they  have 
immensely  large  and  influential  churches ; they  have  printing  presses,  and  newspapers,  and 
a Christian  literature ; they  have  a fivil  constitution,  a representative  government,  and  a 
code  of  laws,  all  based  upon  Bible  principles — in  a word,  they  hav*  all  the  benefits  of  an 
advanced  civilization,  and  all  the  light,  and  purity,  and  blessed  hopes  of  a prevailing  and 
a triumphant  Christianity.  IIow  has  this  change  been  accomplished?  Ah ! the  missionary 
enterprise  has  there  bestowed  its  labors,  and  the  God  of  missious  has  given  it  the  victory. 
At  his  rebuke  idols  have  fallen,  darkness  has  fled,  licentiousness  has  died  away,  and  ancient 
superstitions  have  vanished  like  the  mists  of  the  morning.  In  obedience  to  his  mandate, 
and  by  the  help  of  his  mercy,  a mighty  people  have  there  burst  their  chains,  left  their 
degradation,  and  now  stand  erect  before  the  world  a visible,  convincing  illustration  of  the 
value  and  the  power  of  Christian  missions — and  also  an  evidence  clear  as  demonstration  itself, 


8 


INCENTIVES  TO  DUTY 


that  such  missions  now,  as  of  old,  have  the  sanction  and  aid  of  Him  whose  throne  is  in 
the  heavens.  Nor  is  this  a solitary  instance  of  success.  Indeed  we  may  say,  wherever  the 
missionary  in  modern  time  has  set  his  foot,  lifted  up  his  voice,  and  unfurled  the  banner  of 
the  cross,  there  the  God  of  Providence  has  been  with  him,  the  God  of  Grace  has  favored 
him,  and  he  has  obtained  trophies  of  honor  to  the  Redeemer.  Under  his  efforts  the  slaves 
of  sin  have  been  emancipated ; and  in  answer  to  his  prayers  the  arm  of  Omnipotence  has 
been  uplifted  to  demolish  the  strongholds  of  Satan,  and  erect  upon  their  ruins  a kingdom 
which  “ is  righteousness,  and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.”  Nor  can  we  have  failed 
to  notice,  within  the  last  few  years  especially,  that  the  spirit  of  grace  has  refreshed  and 
enlarged  the  feeble  churches  among  the  heathen  far  beyond  what  has  been  experienced  by 
the  churches  at  home — as  though  these  tender  vines  in  the  wilderness,  which  his  servants 
have  planted  with  difficulty  and  watered  with  their  tears,  were  his  preference  and  his 
delight.  According  to  this  time,  therefore,  it  shall  be  said  of  the  missionary  enterprise, 
“ What  hath  God  wrought  ?”  But  while  we  see  the  seal  of  Providence,  the  tokens  of 
Divine  approbation,  upon  the  past  history  of  the  missionary  enterprise;  while  we  may 
point  to  its  past  achievements  as  an  omen  of  ultimate  success,  and  an  argument  of  sufficient 
force  to  silence  the  cavils  of  those  who  oppose  it  as  impracticable  and  visionary — let  it  be 
understood  and  remembered,  this  is  not  our  only  nor  our  strongest  ground  of  confidence 
and  hope.  Our  encouragement  for  the  future  is  derived  mainly,  not  from  \jjiat  has  already 
been  done,  but  from  the  teachings,  and  promises,  and  predictions,  of  the  Bible.  This  is  the 
rock  upon  which  we  build  our  highest,  firmest  hopes ; this  is  the  helm  which  shapes  and 
controls  our  movements ; this  is  the  sheet-anchor  by  which  our  mental  tossings  and  mis- 
givings are  staid  when  prospects  darken,  storms  arise,  and  cherished  hopes  are  blasted. 
This  is  the  unerring  Oracle  upon  whose  prophetical  announcements  we  may  safely  rely. 
This  is  the  record  of  eternal  truth,  not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  which  shall  pass  away  till  all  be 
fulfilled. 

2.  What,  then,  is  the  testimony  of  the  Bible  respecting  the  missionary  enterprise? 
Does  it  insure  its  steady  advancement?  Does  it  point  to  a large  and  a glorious  result? 
No  question,  for  an  answer  to  which  we  have  to  appeal  to  these  lively  oracles,  can  be 
more  easily  or  conclusively  settled  than  this.  Here  we  learn  that  it  was  the  Son  of  God 
who  first  put  this  great  enterprise  in  motion.  Having  laid  its  foundations  deep  and  broad 
in  the  Garden  of  Gcthsemane,  and  upop  tflk  cross,  where  he  gave  his  life  a ransom  for  many, 
he  said  to  his  apostles,  and  through  t£em  to  all  his  followers  in  succeeding 'ages — “ Go  ye 
into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.”  No  language  could  consti- 
tute a more  unequivocal  expression  of  his  will  than  this ; and  to  the  command  he  has 
appended  a promise — “ Lo,  I am  with  you  ahvay,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world.”  This 
promise  is  most  clear,  full,  and  animating.  It  authorizes  us  to  expect  that  in  all  our 
labors  for  the  conversion  of  the  world  the  Saviour  will  give  us  his  special  presence  and 
blessing  till  the  design  is  accomplished.  It  authorizes  us  to  believe  that  He  is  with  us  now, 
not,  indeed,  in  person,  but  by  the  aids  and  influences  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  It  establishes  the 
position  that  the  cause  of  missions  is  his  cause,  not  merely  in  its  origin,  but  in  its  contin- 
uous progress  from  year  to  year.  He  gives  the  wisdom  necessary  to  direct  its  movements ; 
He  puts  it  into  the  hearts  of  his  people  to  contribute  the  funds  requisite  to  meet  its  pecu- 
niary claims ; He  raises  up  and  qualifies  the  agents  appointed  to  preach  to  the  Gentiles  the 
unsearchable  riches-  of  Christ ; He  watches  over  their  lives  on  the  land  and  on  the  sea ; 

J le  sends  them  in  safety  to  their  various  fields  of  labor ; and  all  their  subsequent  health, 
strength,  peace,  and  prosperity  are  the  fruit  of  his  special  bencdictiou  as  the  Light  and 


IN'  TIIE  WORK  OF  MISSIONS. 


9 


Saviour  of  the  world.  Thanks  to  his  name — with  the  promise  before  us,  "j  Lo,  I am  with 
you  alway,”  we  cannot  doubt  that  when  our  beloved  missionaries  bid  adl.u  to  home  and 
kindred,  and  go  to  the  benighted  heathen,  they  are  not  alone  : Jesus,  the  IS  sen  Redeemer, 
goes  with  them.  He  strengthens  their  faith,  animates  their  courage,  and  prepares  them 
for  their  work.  He  puts  thoughts  into  their  hearts,  words  into  their  mouths,  and  enables 
them  to  adapt  their  instructions  to  the  various  classes  of  perishing  men  whose  salvation 
they  seek  to  promote.  In  times  of  embarrassment  and  trial  his  arm  sustains  them,  his 
presence  cheers  them,  his  promise  inspires  them  with  hope,  and  his  Holy  Spirit  breathes 
into  their  souls  an  unutterable  and  heavenly  peace.  He  comforts  them  under  all  their 
afflictions,  and  carries  them  through  all  their  difficulties,  and  makes  the  gospel  they  preach 
a savor  of  life  unto  life.  They  may  plant  and  water,  but  He  gives  the  increase.  He  con- 
vinces the  heathen  of  sin,  removes  their  prejudices,  dissipates  their  darkness,  and  makes 
them  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Lord  Almighty.  Such  is  the  seal  of  Jesus  upon  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise ; such  the  relation  He  sustains  to  it ; and  such  the  mighty  work  He 
performs  for  its  sustentation  and  success.  This  seal  he  has  pledged  Himself  to  give  ; this 
relation  He  has  pledged  himself  to  sustain ; this  work  He  has  pledged  him9elf  to  perform,  . 
not  for  a short  and  precarious  duration,  but  “Always,  always,”  “even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world.”  With  such  cooperation,  mighty  and  perpetual,  how  can  we  doubt  the  result  ? 

But  besides  the  assurance,  that  in  laboring  for  the  conversion  of  the  world,  we  are  acting 
in  concert  with  the  Son  of  God,  we  have  a variety  of  promises  touching  the  ultimate  issue 
which  place  our  hope  of  success  upon  a broad  and  most  reliable  foundation.  How  readest 
thou?  Is  it  not  written  in  language  too  obvious  to  be  misunderstood,  and  by  a fidelity 
we  may  not  call  in  question  : “ The  earth  shall  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the 
waters  fill  the  sea.  The  kingdom  and  dominion,  and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under 
the  whole  heaven,  shall  be  given  to  the  people  of  the  saints  of  the  most  High ; and  all 
dominions  shall  serve  and  obey  him.  And  the  seventh  angel  sounded ; and  there  were 
great  voices  in  heaven,  saying,  The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the  kingdoms  of 
our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ ; and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God  : Remove  the  diadem,  and  take  off  the  crown  ; exalt  him  that  is  low,  and  abase  him 
that  is  high.  I will  overturn,  overturn,  overturn  it ; and  it  shall  be  no  more,  until  he 
come  whose  right  it  is ; and  I will  give  it  him.  He  shall  have  dominion  from  sea  to  sea, 
and  from  the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.  They  that  dwell  in  the  wilderness  shall 
bow  before  him ; and  his  enemies  shall  lick  the  dust.  The  kings  of  Tarshish  and  of  the 
isles  shall  bring  presents ; the  kings  of  Sheba  and  Seba  shall  offer  gifts.  Yea,  all  kings 
shall  fall  down  before  him  ; all  nations  shall  serve  him.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the 
last  days,  that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord’s  house  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the 
mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills,  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it.  Every 
valley  shall  be  exalted,  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall  be  made  low  : the  crooked  shall 
be  made  straight,  and  the  rough  places  plain.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  revealed, 
and  all  flesh  shall  see  it  together ; for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it.”  These 
promises  are  exceeding  “ great  and  precious.”  They  must  and  shall  be  accomplished. 
Earth  and  yonder  heavens  may  pass  away,  but  the  word  of  the  Lord  abideth  forever.  All 
that  he  has  engaged  to  do  for  Zion  can  by  no  means  fail  of  an  exact  and  a,  timely  fulfil- 
ment. Do  I speak  of  what  He  has  engaged  to  do  for  Zion  ? Should  I not  rather  say,  what 
He  has  engaged  to  do  for  his  only-begotten  and  well-beloved  Son,  to  whom  he  has  said, 
“Ask  of  me,  and  I shall  give  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth  for  thy  possession.” 


10 


INCENTIVES  TO  DUTY 


If,  then,  the  approving  seal  of  Providence  upon  the  past  has  any  force  as  an  omen  of 
the  future ; if  the  great  commission  of  the  text,  with  its  accompanying — “ Lo  I am  with 
you,”  has  any  deep  and  auspicious  significancy ; if  there  is  truth  in  the  promise  of  God  to 
his  Church  and  to  his  Son  ; if  the  covenant  of  redemption  between  the  Father  and  the  Son 
is  ordered  in  all  things  and  sure,  so  that  all  that  the  Father  hath  given  Him  shall  come  to 
Him  : then  the  missionary  enterprise  rests  upon  a large  and  solid  basis ; it  can  never  be  a 
failure ; it  must  ultimately  be  crowned  with  complete  and  glorious  success.  Though  the 
field  of  its  operation  is  the  world,  very  dark  and  very  desolate  ; and  though  the  difficulties 
it  has  to  overcome  are  numerous  and  formidable ; and  though  its  progress  for  a season 
may  seem  to  be  laborious  and  slow ; — yet  it  must  ultimately  prevail  and  triumph.  On  this 
point  there  is  no  room  left  for  apprehension. 

The  great  and  only  question  then  is,  and  it  is  a question  which  all  the  people  of  God 
are  bound  to  ponder  with  prayerful  and  tender  anxiety,  what  can  we,  what  ought  we  per- 
sonally to  do,  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  our  risen  Lord,  to  urge  this  enterprise  for- 
ward to  its  benign  and  blessed  issue  ? Its  triumph  is  to  be  achieved  through  human  in- 
strumentality— through  the  agency  of  the  Church,  ministers,  and  people.  This  throws  a 
fearful  weight  of  responsibility  upon  every  one  who  has  named  the  name  of  Christ,  and  who 
professes  to  sympathize  with  Him  in  his  plan  of  redeeming  mercy.  I repeat  it,  therefore, 
the  question  which  every  Christian  is  required  to  decide  touching  the  conversion  of  the 
world,  is  simply  a question  of  personal  duty — “ Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?” 
Having  heard  of  the  extent  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  its  origin,  its  objects,  its  history 
and  its  sure  prospect  of  success,  do  you  acknowledge  its  claims  upon  you  ? Do  you  feel 
the  prompting  of  a warmer  affection  towards  it,  and  do  you  ask  what  you  are  to  do  to  ex- 
tend its  influence  and  hasten  its  latter  day  of  glory  ? I will  venture  to  make  a few  sugges- 
tions, designed  to  aid  you  in  the  solution  of  this  inquiry. 

1.  You  are  to  seek  for  information  respecting  the  condition  of  those  whom  this  enter- 
prise aims  to  reach  and  to  save.  If  you  know  little  or  nothing  of  their  extreme  degrada- 
tion, their  odious  customs,  their  present  and  their  prospective  woes,  your  sympathies  on 
their  behalf  will  not  be  awakened  ; you  will  be  moved  by  no  earnest  concern  for  their  sal- 
vation. The  sources  of  information  are  of  easy  access.  Missionary  papers  are  so  numerous 
and  cheap,  that  no  one  need  remain  in  ignorance.  Fifty  cents  a year  and  the  reading  of  a 
few  pages  every  month  will  furnish  you  with  details  enough  of  heathen  wretchedness  to 
melt  a heart  of  stone.  Knowledge  will  awaken  feeling,  and  deep,  earnest  feeling  will  lead 
to  effort.  And  need  I urge  upon  Christian  men  the  obligation  of  feeling  for  the  heathen  ? 
Is  it  not  enough  to  say,  their  souls  are  perishing  l You  feel  for  your  own  family  in  dis- 
tress ; you  feel  for  malefactors  on  the  verge  of  execution ; you  fed  for  passengers  on  the 
deck  of  a burning  steamer  as  they  fall  before  the  devouring  element,  and  sink  to  a watery 
grave  ; you  feel  for  the  city  where  a pestilence  is  raging  ; and  can  you  be  unmoved  at  the 
sight  of  six  hundred  millions  of  immortal  men,  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  under  the 
wrath  of  God,  and  sinking  to  an  eternal  hell  without  Christ  and  without  hope?  0,  my 
hearers,  you  are  called  upon  by  all  that  is  precious  in  the  eternal  life  of  unaccounted 
myriads  of  souls,  and  by  all  that  is  dreadful  in  the  prospect  of  their  being  lost  for 
ever,  to  be  moved  with  the  tenderest  compassion  for  a world  lying  in  wickedness.  You 
must  look  at  their  condition,  ponder  their  prospects,  and  feel  for  them  “ with  the  bowels 
of  Jesus  Christ.”  Feel  as  Paul  did  when  he  said,  “ I say  the  truth  in  Christ ; 1 lie  not; 
my  conscience  also  bearing  me  witness  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  1 have  great  heaviness 


IN  THE  WOIlK  OF  MISSIONS. 


11 


ami  continual  sorrow  of  heart  for  my  brethren,  my  kinsmen,  according  to  the  flesh.”  Such 
feeling  must  and  will  prompt  to  effort.  It  will  not  permit  you  to  rest  in  guilty  indolence. 

It  will  urge  and  impel  you  to  learn  and  to  do  your  duty. 

2.  You  ate  bound  to  pray  for  tire  missionary  enterprise  earnestly  and  often.  How- 
ever humble  your  statiou  in  life  may  be,  or  limited  your  influence  among  men,  you 
can  help  this  cause  by  your  prayers.  If  you  are  a Christian,  you  have  access  to  the 
mercy-seat,  and  power  with  the  God  of  Missions  as  a supplicant.  You  can  pray  for  the 
Church  that  she  may  be  laiptized  with  the  spirit  of  her  risen  Lord,  and  disposed  to  enter 
with  augmented  zeal  upon  the  work  lie  has  committed  to  her  hands.  You  can  pray  for 
an  increase  of  laborers  to  enter  the  field,  already  white,  and  gather  the  perishing  harvest. 
You  can  pray  for  the  missionary  that  his  life  may  be  spared,  his  heart  encouraged,  and 
his  efforts  crowned  with  a blessing.  You  can  pray  for  the  benighted  nations  that  the  Sun 
of  righteousness  may  arise  upon  them  with  healing  in  his  wings.  You  can  pray  for  your- 
self that  God  will  put  it  into  your  heart  to  do  all  in  your  power  for  the  extension  of  his 
kingdom.  For  all  these  objects  you  can  pray  daily  in  secret  places  and  at  the  family 
altar  : and  when  the  time  for  the  monthly  concert  arrives,  you  can  meet  your  brethren  at 
the  mercy-seat,  and  mingle  your  tears  and  your  supplications  for  a perishing  world  with 
theirs.  Ye  who  have  an  interest  at  the  throne  of  grace,  as  you  love  the  Redeemer  and 
the  souls  of  men,  you  are  bound  to  plead  the  promises  ami  pray  without  ceasing  for  the 
spread  and  triumph  of  the  Gospel.  Though  you  can  do  but  little  otherwise  for  this  cause 
you  can  do  wonders  for  it  by  the  power  of  prayer.  Even  the  meanest  child  of  poverty, 
if  he  is  a child  of  the  Highest,  can  cast  much  wealth  into  the  missionary  treasury,  and 
send  many  laborers  into  the  missionary  field  by  the  simple  offering  up  of  that  Christ-dic- 
tated petition,  “ Thy  kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.”  What 
praying  soul.  then,  iu  this  assembly  is  not  ready  to  say  with  augmented  strength  of  pur- 
pose, “ For  Zion's  sake  will  I not  hold  my  peace,  and  for  Jerusalem’s  sake  I will  not  rest, 
until  the  righteousness  thereof  go  forth  as  brightness,  and  the  salvation  thereof  as  a lamp 
that  burneth,  and  the  Gentiles  shall  sec  thy  righteousness,  and  all  kings  thy  glory.” 

3.  I remark,  in  the  third  place,  that  however  much  information  you  may  procure  re- 
specting the  condition  of  the  heathen,  however  deeply  you  may  feel  for  them,  or  however 
earnestly  you  may  pray  for  their  conversion,  your  whole  duty  will  not  be  discharged  till 
to  send  them  the  Gospel  you  contribute  of  your  property  liberally,  and  even  to  a sacrifice. 
To  sustain  and  carry  forward  the  missionary  enterprise  funds  are  indispensable.  Young 
men  must  be  trained  for  the  missionary  service,  and  in  many  instances  the  expense  of  their 
education  must  be  defrayed  by  the  Church.  When  prepared  they  must  be  sent  to  their 
fields  of  labor ; and  when  there  they  must  be  fed  and  clothed.  Those  already  in  the  ser- 
vice must  be  supported  ; churches  must  be  built,  schools  established,  and  printing-presses 
kept  in  operation  from  year  to  year.  All  this  requires  funds ; and  unless  those  funds  are 
contributed  by  the  people  of  God,  the  work  must  stop.  Such  is  the  responsibility  upon  the 
Church,  and  in  that  responsibility  every  individual  member  has  a share.  If  you,  my  hearers, 
would  do  your  whole  duty  you  must  soberly  calculate  how  much  you  can  contribute  every 
week,  every  month,  or  every  year,  to  send  the  Gospel  to  the  destitute,  and  then  act  accord- 
ingly. Let  this  calculation  be  regulated  not  simply  by  a willingness  to  give,  but  by  a 
readiness  to  practice  self-denial,  a determination  to  sacrifice — yes,  to  make  large  and  cheer, 
ful  sacrifices  for  the  cause  of  Him,  who,  though  He  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  became 


12 


INCENTIVES  TO  DUTY 


poor.  The  question  is  not,  What  can  you  do  conveniently  to  save  600,000,000  of  your 
fellow-men  from  the  woes  of  the  second  death.  What ! is  convenience  a standard  by  which 
Christians  are  to  measure  their  efforts  to  obey  the  last  command  of  Jesus  and  save  a ruined 
world  ? What  would  you  think  of  a father  who  should  coolly  say,  he  would  do  all  he  could 
conveniently  to  safe  the  life  of  a child  dying  with  fever  ? Or  who,  after  his  death,  should 
content  himself  with  the  declaration  that  he  had  done  all  he  could  conveniently  to  save  him 
from  the  grave  ? Is  the  salvation  of  the  soul  a less  momentous  object  ? Surely  the  ques- 
tion is  not,  what  is  it  convenient  for  you  to  do — but  what  is  it  possible  for  you  to  do  ? 
All  that  it  is  possible  for  you  to  do  in  consistency  with  other  duties  your  Eedeemer 
requires  of  you.  It  may  be  convenient  for  you  to  make  efforts  enough  to  save  ten  be- 
nighted Pagans  from  death.  It  may  be  possible  for  you,  without  neglecting  other 
duties,  to  save  a hundred.  God  requires  the  hundred.  Is  this  raising  the  standard  of 
liberality  too  high  ? Will  you  bend  over  an  open  Bible,  and  lay  your  finger  upon  the 
words  of  our  text,  and  say  so  ? This  standard  may  be  too  high  for  our  present  narrow 
views  and  our  feeble  piety ; but  does  it  go  beyond  the  spirit  of  the  great  commission  and 
the  wants  of  a dying  world  ? Is  it  higher  than  the  demands  of  Christ  and  of  duty  ? Should 
we  esteem  it  too  high  if  we  were  properly  imbued  with  the  missionary  spirit  ? Is  it  too 
high  in  the  estimation  of  those  who  live  nearest  to  the  Saviour,  and  have  most  of  the  mind 
that  was  in  Him?  Make  our  most  devoted  and  self-denying  missionaries  themselves 
the  judges,  and  will  they  say  that  this  standard  is  too  high  ? For  example,  let  us  refer  the 
question  to  that  devoted  wife  and  mother  whose  case  was  published  a few  years  ago  in 
the  Missionary  Herald.  In  early  life  she  had  accompanied  her  husband  to  a heathen  land 
as  a missionary.  Years  passed  away  as  she  pursued  her  work  of  love,  till  her  children 
were  growing  up  around  her.  They  were  exposed  to  the  contaminating  influence  of 
heathenism.  They  could  not  be  educated  aright  in  that  dark  and  idolatrous  land  ; 
nor  did  she  feel  that  she  could  leave  that  land  to  superintend  their  education  in  a Chris- 
tian country.  She,  therefore,  concluded  to  part  with  her  children,  to  send  them  to 
her  own  native  land  to  be  educated  under  the  care  of  relatives,  while  she  should  remain  at 
her  post.  The  hour  of  parting  came.  She  led  them  to  the  ship  in  which  they  were  to  sail ; 
gave  them  a parting  kiss  with  a mother’s  affection  and  a mother’s  agony  ; walked  quickly 
away  from  the  vessel  to  the  shore,  paused  a moment,  then  lifted  her  hands  and  her  streaming 
eyes  to  heaven  and  said  : “ O Jesus ! this  I do  for  thee.”  Ask  that  mother  whether  the 
standard  of  liberality  for  which  I am  pleading  is  too  high  for  her?  Would  it  be  too 
high  for  us  if  we  had  her  spirit  ? O this  ardent,  constraining  love  to  Christ  as  a Saviour 
— this  self-denying  loyalty  to  him  as  a King — is  the  very  essence  of  the  missionary  spirit. 
This  is  the  spirit  which,  under  God,  is  to  convert  the  world.  And  when  all  our  churches  are 
thoroughly  imbued  with  this  spirit,  then  our  missionary  boards  will  no  longer  be  embar- 
rassed as  they  now  are  for  the  want  of  funds.  Their  treasuries  will  be  full  to  overflowing. 
The  rich  and  the  poor  together  will  give  of  their  substance  largely,  liberally,  even  to  the 
point  of  self-denial  and  sacrifice  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel — esteeming  it  blessedness 
enough  in  return  to  be  able  to  look  heavenward  to  a smiling  Redeemer,  and  say — “ O 
Jesus,  this  we  do  for  thee!” 

4.  Again  : It  is  the  duty  of  some,  nay,  of  many,  to  go  in  person  to  the  heathen  as  the 
dispensers  of  light,  mercy,  and  salvation.  Perhaps  some  of  us,  brethren,  should  have  gone, 
who  are  now  ministering  in  these  pleasant  places.  Perhaps  it  may  still  be  the  duty  of 
some  of  us  to  resign  our  present  charges  and  go.  But  if  we  go  not  ourselves,  whom  shall 


IM  THE  WORK  OF  MISSIONS. 


13 


we  send,  and  who  will  go  for  us?  And  as  we  ask  this  question,  with  what  interest  do  we 
turn  to  the  pious  young  men  of  our  churches.  There  may  be  some  such  young  men  before 
me  now.  A word  to  them.  In  the  name  of  Jesus,  I ask  you  to  take  his  great  commission 
in  your  hands,  and  prayerfully,  candidly,  seriously,  and  as  for  the  judgment,  ponder  the 
question,  whether  it  is  not  your  duty  to  go  as  his  ambassadors  to  the  heathen.  Look 
well  to  this  inquiry.  Open  your  eyes  to  light  and  evidence,  and  let  every  selfish 
preference  be  subordinated  to  the  claims  of  Jesus  and  of  souls.  I know  your  danger 
of  mistake,  because  I know  the  ties  which  bind  you  here.  Here  are  your  friends  and  rela- 
tives. Here  is  your  country  and  your  home — and  you  love  it.  Here  cluster  all  the  thrill- 
ing memories  which  bind  you  to  the  past.  Here  you  have  heard  the  sweet  sound  of  the 
gospel,  and  found  peace  in  believing  in  Jesus.  Of  course  all  your  earthly  attachments  are 
here.  Here  you  would  naturally  wish  to  live  and  labor,  and  here  you  would  die  and  -be 
buried.  Rut  on  the  other  hand,  here  is  the  great  commission — “ Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,”  and  with  it  is  blended  the  thrilling  cry  from 
thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  heathen  : “ Come  over  and  help  us.”  Oh,  it 
may  be  the  will  of  Christ  that  you  should  respond  to  this  cry,  and  go  far  hence  to  the 
Gentiles.  If  so,  be  willing  to  see  it.  And  when  duty  is  once  made  clear,  let  there  be  no 
hesitation — no  conferring  with  flesh  and  blood,  but  let  your  prompt  and  cheerful  response 
be — 

“And  I will  go : I may  not  longer  doubt 
To  give  up  friends  and  home,  and  Idle  hopes, 

And  every  tender  tie  that  binds  my  heart 

To  thee,  my  country  1 

I only  pray,  God  fit  me  for  the  work : 

God  make  me  holy,  and  my  spirit  nerve 

For  the  stern  hour  of  strife. 

And  when  I come  to  stretch  me  for  the  last, 

In  unattended  agony,  beneath 
The  cocoa’s  shade,  or  lift  my  dying  eyes 
From  Afric's  burning  sand,  it  will  be  sweet 
That  I have  tolled  for  other  worlds  than  this. 

I know  I shall  feel  happier  than  to  die 
On  softer  bed." 

So  many  of  our  beloved  young  men,  now  in  distant  lands,  have  thought,  and  felt,  and 
spoken.  We  bless  God  for  their  example.  It  shows  the  true  spirit  of  Christianity ; and 
we  trust  there  are  many  others  now  in  our  midst  who  will  be  fired  with  a similar  zeal,  and 
go  forth  on  a similar  errand  of  duty  and  of  love. 

Finally. — Let  me  say,  it  is  exceedingly  desirable  that  all  our  churches  should  have  living 
representatives  from  their  own  numbers  acting  as  missionaries  on  heathen  ground.  There  is 
a sad  deficiency  here  in  most  of  our  churches,  large  and  small.  They  may  be  very  worthy 
of  commendation  in  many  respects,  but  they  are  wanting  in  missionary  zeal — and  the  reason 
may  be  that  no  one  of  their  own  sons  and  daughters  has  ever  gone  to  the  heathen.  Oh, 
how  it  identifies  families  and  churches  with  the  missionary  enterprise,  to  have  their  own 
baptized  and  consecrated  children  come  forward  and  give  themselves  to  the  work.  They 
feel  then  as  they  never  felt  before,  that  this  cause  is  their  cause ; they  pray  for  it  with 
augmented  fervency,  and  take  a livelier  interest  in  everything  relating  to  its  history  and 
progress.  In  such  churches  the  monthly  concert  is  not  forgotten,  nor  are  missionary 
contributions  made  with  a cold  and  grudging  reluctance.  Would  to  God  that  all  our 
churches  were  connected  with  this  cause  by  such  a tender,  and  intimate,  and  living  bond 
as  this.  Let  us  pray  and  labor  that  they  may  be. 


14 


INCENTIVES  TO  DUTY  IN  THE  WORK  OF  MISSIONS. 


My  dear  brethren  in  the  ministry  and  eldership : Let  us  see  to  it  that  the  missionary 
enterprise  has  a vigorous  hold  upon  our  affections  and  our  hopes.  We  are  among  the 
leaders  in  that  army  which,  under  Messiah,  the  Prince,  is  marc-bing  on  to  the  moral  con- 
quest of  the  world.  A great  and  fearful  responsibility  is  upon  us.  The  missionary  zeal 
of  our  respective  charges  will  sink  or  rise  with  ours.  If  our  congregations  feel  but  little, 
pray  but  little,  and  contribute  but  little  for  the  cause  of  missions  ; and  if  few  or  none  of 
our  sons  and  our  daughters  devote  themselves  to  its  advancement,  doubtless  the  fault  of  all 
this  is,  in  a great  measure,  with  us.  Such  is  our  responsibility ; and  in  view  of  it,  let  us 
begin  to  study  the  great  commission  anew ; let  us  make  it  our  meditation  day  and  night ; 
let  us  pray  over  it  till  we  feel  its  binding  obligations  more  sensibly,  and  imbibe  its  very 
spirit.  Let  us  inculcate  that  obligation  and  that  very  spirit  upon  our  people,  and  urge 
and  lead  them  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  even  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty  ; 
and  when,  m the  heat  of  the  conflict,  they  send  up  to  us  the  earnest,  anxious  inquiry, 
“ Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ?” — let  us  point  them  to  the  promises,  and  send  back  the 
prompt  and  animating  answer,  “The  morning  cometh,” — the  morning  of  a bright  and 
glorious  millennium. 


. 


